Living in a Flying Start area allows your child and family access to health groups and programmes. The midwives, health visitors, and community nursery nurses will work as part of a team to offer support and guidance throughout pregnancy and the first years of your child's life.
The health team includes:
- Flying Start Health Visitors
The role of the Health Visitor is central to the Flying Start programme. In Caerphilly, our experienced team of practitioners will offer, in addition to the Universal Child Health Programme, additional health programmes and support. Flying Start Health Visitors in Caerphilly work with fewer families than generic Health Visitors, having more time to spend with your family and will be able to offer you much more support.
- Health Outreach Team
The team provide 1:1 support in the home and also help in the delivery of Flying Start health sessions.
The Caerphilly Flying Start Health Team offer both 1:1 home based support and local community setting sessions providing support and guidance in many ways, for example:
- Antenatal support - keeping yourself healthy throughout the pregnancy, information on equipment you might need, support in your first days.
- Healthy Start scheme - find out if you are entitled to Healthy Start vouchers for fresh fruit and vegetables and vitamins.
- Breastfeeding advice - advice and support on breastfeeding issues, helping you to feed your baby appropriately.
- Weaning (5 months – 1 year) - portion sizes, first weaning foods, family foods and how to progress your child's nutrition.
- Home safety help as well as equipment (5 months – 1 year) - home safety checklists, free home safety equipment packs suitable for the age and stage of development.
- Baby Clubs (0-9 month olds) - baby massage, weaning, first aid, and lots of support for new mums and dads.
- Behaviour support - groups or one-to-one support helping you to positively parent your child.
- Chatterbox (speech and language group for 2-3 year olds) - this group is a referral group for families who have concerns over their child's language development. Working more intensively the staff can give you tips to support your child's speech.
- Top Tots (music and movement group for 2-3year olds) - physical activity sessions for you and your child.
- Get Cooking - recipes and cookery sessions for family foods.
- Henry (Healthy Exercise and Nutrition for the Really Young) - nutrition and exercise course for parents who want to know the most up-to-date information on the best foods and exercise for their child's development.
Health Outreach Team Timetable - April 2013 (PDF 21kb)
If you would like to attend any of our health group please contact the Flying Start Health Team on 02920 886860.
Who is my Health Visitor?
| St James | Sarah Phillips, Claire Naylor | 029 20 866598 |
| Graig-y-Rhacca | Helen Lloyd | 029 20 869045 |
| Hengoed / Bargoed & Phillipstown | Dianne Lewis, Gaynor Doonan, Jacky Meredith | 01443 875662 |
| Upper Rhymney / Lower Rhymney / Abertysswg | Val Powell, Tracie Jones, Dianne Parsons | 01685 846881 / 846882 / 846884 |
| Fochriw | Dianne Parsons | 01685 841286 |
| Pantside | Sue Hall | 01495 243286 (option 2) |
